Fiery cargo ship with 3,000 cars abandoned off Alaska but 22 crew safely evacuated

Bengaluru — The crew of a cargo ship carrying about 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric vehicles, abandoned it off the coast of Alaska after a fire broke out on board, its operator Zodiac Maritime said on Wednesday.

The 22 crew members were safely evacuated the ship after they failed to put out the fire, Zodiac said as it focused on salvaging the vessel.

The crew were evacuated via lifeboat and transferred to a nearby merchant vessel in tandem with the US Coast Guard.

The vessel, Morning Midas, was located about 480km southwest of Adak in Alaska, the Coast Guard said on its X account.

Smoke was initially seen rising from a deck loaded with EVs, the company said. It is not clear what brand of vehicles the ship was carrying.

The Liberia-flagged ship left China’s Yantai port on May 26 and was on the way to Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, according to LSEG data.

The Coast Guard said that aircrew and a cutter ship have been sent to assist with the situation and three vessels were already on the scene.

One of the vessel’s ship insurers, Steamship Mutual, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Fires on board vessels, particularly on container ships, car carriers and roll-on/roll-off ships remain a major concern for insurers.

Fires across all vessel segments hit the highest level in a decade in 2024, according to insurer Allianz Commercial.

“The reality is the risk remains significant due to the size of these ships and the complexities involved in firefighting and salvage,” Allianz said in its 2025 safety and shipping review report.

Reuters